A retrospective evaluation of parental smoking and the risk of Type 1 diabetes in children.

Introduction: The association between secondhand smoking (SHS) and the risk of Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) has garnered increasing interest. The aim of this study is to examine whether exposure to SHS is associated with an increased likelihood of Type 1 DM.

Methods: This study was designed as a case-control study. Children aged 4-14 years diagnosed with Type 1 DM who were followed in the Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases Outpatient Clinic were included as cases, and healthy children (without any chronic disease) in the same age range were included as the controls. A total of 248 children were included in the study, with two research arms. The structured questionnaire was applied face-to-face. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of other risk factors were evaluated by multivariable regression analysis.

Results: No difference was found in the number of cigarettes mothers smoked daily and the duration of the smoking period during pregnancy and lactation, between the two groups. Among the cases, the daily number of cigarettes smoked by parents at home was 3.28 ± 4.90, higher than in the controls (p=0.039). Comparing the controls, children with Type 1 DM were more likely to be exposed to SHS at home by 1.08 (95% CI: 1.004-1.15, p=0.039) times in cases.

Conclusions: Children with Type 1 DM had higher odds of being exposed to SHS at home. These results suggest substantial health gains could be made by extending effective public health interventions to reduce exposure to SHS and prevent Type 1 DM in children.